Red Bull Air Race
Is There a Pilot on the Plane? Red Bull has turned the ordinary air show into the most attractive motor race on the planet to whoosh under London’s fairly low Millennium Bridge at a speed of over 360 km/h is not something that would earn you a reward for common sense. Especially if you do so in a small, propeller plane – upside down. On the other hand, this kind of behaviour definitely attracts public attention. it is, therefore, no wonder that the latest starts of the Red Bull Air Race World Series – actually the world championship in aerobatics – are attracting more than one million viewers.
Many even think that quite soon this very young competition (launched in 2003) will top Formula 1 as the planet’s most popular motor race. Of course, air competitions are nothing new. the first official air race was the Prix de Lagatinerie, held way back in May 1909, just five years after the famous flight of the Wright brothers. At the time the four participants had to cover 1.2 km each in their primitive biplanes. Later, with the development of technology, the scenario was greatly enhanced. in the 1990s the air race had already become a breathtaking spectacle.
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This is precisely the greatest fascination of the Air race: things happen not only at eyelevel, but also in an environment in which you would normally expect to see a tourist boat or milk truck –anything else but some dozen blindingly bright aircraft, flying at speeds of over 300 km/h. in fact, no matter how deceptively easy the manoeuvres here might look, they are the result of longstanding skills and, last but not least, of hard work. in the spins, loops and whirls the pressure on the pilots often exceeds 12 g-forces, due to which their physical training is even harder than that of astronauts. But don’t worry, in order to become a part of this indescribable show, you do not need any exercises – just a place to sit comfortably and watch.
THE CHAmPiOnS; The Hungarian Peter Besenyei won the first edition in 2003 and has been in the Top 3 another four times since then.
THE ViEWERS; For all races the company has two types of special offers for viewers – Race Club, which includes good seats and an open buffet with food and drinks (the price is about 300 euros), and the High Flyers’ Lounge, whose guests enjoy five-star luxury for upwards of 1,000 euros.